A Kiss A Day

3: The Wedding-I

The ceremonial bells atop the cathedral in the palace grounds of Cyranda rang out 6 times, as was the custom of the people whenever a hero arrives.

Princess Cassiopeia swallowed the lump in her throat when she saw that the streets were packed with people cheering and celebrating her return. It was heartwarming to know that the people and Cyranda recognize her decision to marry the Western Prince as a valorous act deserving of a hero's welcome.

She and Arrakis arrived at the palace by midday and was greeted by a row of servants bowing in synchrony as they walk through the great hall. At the end of the row, a beaming lady in a white dress stood between a knight and a man in spectacles.

"You came!" Eliana proclaimed as Cassiopeia neared her. She excitedly put her arms around the princess.

"It's good to see you looking well, Peia." Dalton smiled as he adjusted his spectacles and moved forward to join in on the hug.

Cassiopeia chuckled, "It's only been a week but how I missed you two!" She hugged her friends back tightly, "and you too, Colton." She nodded and smiled at the knight who in turn put a fist on his chest and bowed to the princess.

Cassiopeia spoke and acted like she's not royalty. If Arrakis didn't know she's a princess, he wouldn't even think that she's a noble because she doesn't act dignified like other noble ladies in Drakonia who seldom talk to or glance at their subordinates. There's a chance that royalty in Cyranda are raised differently, but something tells Arrakis that it's just Cassiopeia who's different.

Arrakis cleared his throat to remind them of his presence. He's been slightly annoyed with all the people only greeting his wife. He understands that she's their Princess, but he is also a Prince and her husband. These people have been acting like they can only see Cassiopeia.

"My apologies, Your Highness." Eliana untangled herself from Cassiopeia and curtsied at the prince. Dalton followed suit and the knight who still had his head down in a bow, turned slightly to the direction of the prince.

"Welcome to Cyranda, Prince Arrakis Drakon," Eliana greeted and summoned her vines to form a small couatl dragon and placed it over the prince's left shoulder. "Blessing to the Mage. I'm Lady Eliana Lavignia, friend and former lady-in-waiting of the Dragon Maiden, Princess Cassiopeia Borealis." She smiled.

Arrakis looked at the totem in wonder. So this is a Cerulean Dragon, he thought. It looked more like a snake with wings of a bird. Very different from the dragon of the Western Empire. Dragons of western shifters have four legs with sharp claws, two horns, large scale spines, spiked tail, and webbed wings. A thought about which dragon flies faster and higher crossed his mind. He would have to ask Prince Garrett to a race later. He smirked.

"I didn't know there are earth mages here at the North." He commented.

"The House of Lavignia is one of the few families who settled here from the East after the First Dark War," Cassiopeia explained before taking her friends arm and patting her hand.

Arrakis stared at Cassiopeia as she rested her head on Lady Eliana's shoulder and smiled as she played with her former lady-in-waiting's hair. He'd never seen her this comfortable or happy and this was the longest sentence she ever uttered to him after their arrangement. Back in Drakonia, after they agreed on the contract, he would only see her at breakfast for the kiss. Like clockwork, he would find her sitting at the head of the table silently drinking tea at 7 in the morning. She would plant a soft and very brief kiss on his lips before going back to her room for the rest of the day.

Those interactions made his impression of her to be cold and reserved. A complete opposite of what she's displaying now and he's not sure which personality of hers he prefers.

Eliana notices the slight frown on the Prince's face as he looked at his wife.

"Your Highness!" Eliana hissed at the princess in a manner that says she should stop and behave herself. "Forgive her, Your Highness," Eliana told Arrakis as she untangles herself again from Cassiopeia and bows to him, "she often forgets she's a princess. But please don't feel burdened on how you treat me for I know my place."

"On that end, kindly follow me and I'll take you to your chambers." Eliana led them to the west wing where two guards were waiting by a huge double doors. At the wave of her hand, the guards open the doors into an enormous hall that lead to another big double doors. "You will find that your things are already inside. The wedding will be held at the cathedral and the celebratory feast that follows at the grand hall. A servant will come fetch you this afternoon." She curtsied before turning towards the prince's knight.

"Your quarters are beyond that door," she pointed to the wooden door on the left. She then turned to leave.

Cassiopeia was about to follow her when Eliana noticed and said, "Princess Peia, where do you think you're going?"

"To my chambers..?" she asked confused.

"Princess, this is your chambers. Married delegates share one. Does the prince require separate quarters?" She asked with worry.

"Oh, yes! I mean NO! He does not require a separate chamber, I just forgot! I mean, being back here, walking down these familiar halls...it made me forget. You know me, always forgetting things..." Cassiopeia chuckled for good measure and Eliana reluctantly left.

"What was that about? Why not insist for a separate bed chamber?" Arrakis asked her once they were alone inside the room.

"Because if she knew that we are not sharing a bed as husband and wife, I wouldn't be able to annul our marriage."

"What? Elaborate."

Cassiopeia sighed, "Under Cyrandan law, if the Dragon Maiden - that's me," she pointed at herself, "is married to an impotent - you," she pointed at Arrakis, "the council may grant a request for annulment."

"WHAT?! I'm not impotent-!"

"Shh!" Cassiopeia hurriedly covered her husband's mouth, "Quiet down or the guards may hear you!"

"Mbmt umhmnt-" Arrakis pulled down Cassiopeia's hand so he could speak, "but I'm not impotent!" he insisted.

"It doesn't matter whether you're really impotent or not. We just need to not produce an heir and claim that it's because of impotence and not because we're not consumating our marriage."

"Will that work? Won't they examine me to see if I'm really seedless?"

"The Cyrandan Council won't since you're a westerner and examining you may mean encroachment on your empire's autonomy."

"And the Drakonian Council?"

Cassiopeia raised an eyebrow, "Seriously, Your Highness, you're about to be Emperor in few month's time, why aren't you well-versed in your own laws?" She shakes her head before taking a seat in a large settee. "But to answer your question, yes, Drakonian Council will examine the veracity of an impotence claim, especially of their Emperor. That is why I'm going for a different approach. I'll be submitting a request for dissolution of marriage on the grounds of fate-induced impotency resulting from tetheral a******y. I'll just tell them you found your tether that's why your swimmers won't work for me."

"What's a tether?"

"I think you call it in the West as mate?"

"Finding your mate is a ground for divorce here?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes, but that's an option only available to a Dragon Maiden."

"Why?"

"Because only Dragon Maidens are required by law to marry."

Arrakis held his head, he was suddenly sporting a headache. Cyrandan laws sounds confusing enough without the need to add Drakonian laws. He looked at his wife in amazement. She's extremely intelligent, diligent, and from the welcome that she had earlier, she's clearly good with people. She would make an outstanding Empress. Arrakis shook his head as if to erase such thought. He shouldn't imagine anyone else as his Empress other than Astraluna.

That's right, he thought, he has Astraluna. "Wait, how did you know that I found my mate?"

Cassiopeia looked confused for a second as she was not used to the word mate to refer to tethers. She found it odd how the Westerners romanticized the concept of tethers. From her readings, most Drakonian laws are liberally in favor of finding tethers and preserving the sanctity of their union. She attributes this outlandish views on the fact that Drakonia is the land of dragon shifters. Unlike Cyranda where only the chosen is endowed with a great ancient dragon, Drakonian citizens can shift into lower tier dragons.

"I don't," she answered, "I was suggesting we lie, but this is perfect! It'll be so easy now, we could probably get divorced by next week!"

Cassiopeia stood up in excitement. "Where is she? When did you find her?"

"She's back home. We met about 3 years ago."

Cassiopeia furrowed her eyebrows. "The King knows you found your te- I mean, mate 3 years ago?"

Arrakis nodded.

"And neither one of you rejected the other?" Cassiopeia bit the pad of her thumb, a nervous habit of hers.

"Rejected? No. Why?"

Cassiopeia put a hand over her mouth and looked like she was about to cry. "Oh my poor ignorant Prince, what have you done?" she shook her head and looked at him with pity before covering her face with her hands.

She groaned in her palms and dropped one hand to her hips while the other stayed on her forehead. She started to pace deep in thought.

"What's happening? What's wrong?" Arrakis felt his panic rising.

"You really should have read your laws," she looked at Arrakis with a mixture of sorrow and anger, "I don't think we can dissolve this marriage now."